I dont know about Aromatherapy Retro but some scents have always been associated in Indian and Far Eastern thought with developing awareness and refining sensibility, Sandalwood and Agaru ( also known as Amberwood or Oudh ) among them. A convenient way to access them is of course incense sticks, a source of such sticks which are made from pure aromatherapy quality essential oils is Pure-Incense. Another is Jivada which is run by a former Bhikkhu and student of Ajahn Sumedho, called Maheshi.

Thanks for the tip. My wife is going to a couple of aromatherapy parties over the next fortnight and I figure if she's going to spend money, she may as well get me something useful! I'm pretty sure sandalwood is available, so I'll look into that.

I use incense from time to time, but mostly to help cover up the dog smell in my house.

I would think that some scents, if used skillfully, could be useful to help provide a more conducive atmosphere for practice. Of course, I would also worry that there may be some attachment to sensual pleasures might arise, especially if one relies on them too heavily.

Also, I find that some scents are too strong and can be distracting.

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C. S. Lewis

Its just sensory data, Paul.Get it if you like the house to have a nice smell. Sure, some of it might be evocative for some people but at the end of the day I doubt whether it will be of any significance in helping you achieve your goal.metta

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Aromatherapy is actually a large field. The effects of natural ethereal oils such as lemon are being used in Japan to better the concentration of the employees, and the employers report significant improvement.

Robert Tisserand, a famous therapist from England describes, that synthetic substances are being researched by the Army.

(Synthetic aromas, which don't exist in nature cause fear and the wish to escape)

He was allowed to smell a substance in high dilution, created for military purposes, and felt very unpleasant, while others had to leave the building on the spot.

"Dangerous" smells, such as smoke and of rotting bodies alert us and can keep us safe, (if we stay away)

Scents and smells affect our limbic system and can cause the excretion of neurochemical substances, such as encephalines, (spelling?) endorphines, serotonine and noradrenaline.

The effect of natural ethereal oils can be used to relax and influence disharmony in mind and body. (So perhaps make your wife aware you only want natural aromas)

Lavender, for instance, is relaxing, it is said to balance blood pressure and to enhance sleep. It also helps to keep insects away.

Hi Retro,I did study this and there are effects, both physically and mentally, but it wouldn't necessarily be any better than coffee tea, or incense in regard to practice, it would be an aid but not much more.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion … ...He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.John Stuart Mill

On one level that's true, but as a "biological input" it can have a distinct impact on body, which can have an impact on mind.

We know for example, that certain times and level of food intake are conducive to meditation whereas others aren't, so I'm certainly not discounting the possibility of scents being detected by the brain, and triggering some biological response, which may have either a positive or negative impact in terms of one's spiritual endeavours. In Annabel's excellent post, she gave examples of what biological responses might be evoked by certain smells.

From yet another perspective, I experience Seasonal Affective Disorder which is generally attributed to lack of light within certain frequencies. Again, regarding light, "its just sensory data" from a vipassana/satipatthana perspective but I know it has certain physiological impacts, the consequences of which can be actually be hindrances to mental cultivation.

And what is despair? Whatever despair, despondency, desperation of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing, that is called despair.

"And what is the stress of association with the unbeloved? There is the case where undesirable, unpleasing, unattractive sights, sounds,aromas,flavors, or tactile sensations occur to one; or one has connection, contact, relationship, interaction with those who wish one ill, who wish for one's harm, who wish for one's discomfort, who wish one no security from the yoke. This is called the stress of association with the unbeloved.

"And what is the stress of separation from the loved? There is the case where desirable, pleasing, attractive sights, sounds, aromas, flavors, or tactile sensations do not occur to one; or one has no connection, no contact, no relationship, no interaction with those who wish one well, who wish for one's benefit, who wish for one's comfort, who wish one security from the yoke, nor with one's mother, father, brother, sister, friends, companions, or relatives. This is called the stress of separation from the loved.http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dham ... index.html

with mettaChris

---The trouble is that you think you have time------Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe------It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---

retrofuturist wrote:From yet another perspective, I experience Seasonal Affective Disorder which is generally attributed to lack of light within certain frequencies. Again, regarding light, "its just sensory data" from a vipassana/satipatthana perspective but I know it has certain physiological impacts, the consequences of which can be actually be prohibitive to mental cultivation.

Full spectrum fluorescent bulbs can help with this. If light intensity is an issue (fluorescent bulbs tend to not be very bright), a HID (high intensity discharge) light along with the full spectrum bulb will help flood the room with so much light you'll need sunglasses.

Hydroponics and indoor gardening have long been hobbies of mine, so I'm very experienced with lighting systems. If you want to build a 'light room', or put some plants in there and make it a grow room, I can help with some tips and advice. I find it very pleasing to be able to walk into a grow room in the dead of winter and be surrounded by green plants and bright lights.

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C. S. Lewis

There is some evidence "suggestive of reincarnation (rebirth)" which was conducted by Dr Ian Stevenson, though his work is not accepted by the larger scientific community. His work is really only suggestive, it doesn't actually prove rebirth, but I think it would be impossible to prove rebirth from a purely scientific point of view.

With Metta,

Guy

Four types of letting go:

1) Giving; expecting nothing back in return2) Throwing things away3) Contentment; wanting to be here, not wanting to be anywhere else4) "Teflon Mind"; having a mind which doesn't accumulate things

That's a relevant sutta because not only is there the section on "aromas" which directly involves the perception of smell as sensory data and the associated mental reactions... but there's also mention of "tactile sensations" which could arise based on the presence or absence of certain physiological inputs.

Interesting - can such things be purchased at a hydroponics store? What kind of price range are we talking?

I'd love one at my desk at work (since that's where I spend many hours, 5 days a week, during Winter) but I don't know how others would feel about it.

Metta,Retro.

Yep, you can get everything at a hydro store. Although, you can find many of the same basic things at your local hardware store for cheaper. The hydroponics stores are just more convenient and have people who are knowledgeable about those things. If you do have a hydroponics store that's local, I'd say just to take look around. Those types of stores usually have experiences staff that can help answer some of your questions.

The full spectrum fluorescent bulbs in the 4ft. tubes and fixtures should be the cheapest at the hardware store. As should shelving, and other components.

How much you spend depends on how big of a system you want and how much work you want to do yourself. I've built some very large systems myself for very cheap, but that was with me doing everything from building shelving to wiring HID lights from kits myself. Also, it depends on what kind of plants you want to grow. Some plants require more light than others and specific humidity or temperature conditions (especially tropical plants). I have some indoor gardening books around here somewhere. If you want to grow any specific plants, I can try to look em up and see what exact conditions would be optimum for each.

There are also new LED grow lights. They are much more energy efficient, but also more expensive. They aren't nearly as bright as HID lights. They do work well for small indoor herb gardens and other plants.

If you just want a small full spectrum fluorescent bulb for your desk, and don't want any plants, they do make compact fluorescent bulbs in full spectrum. They are a little more expensive than the regular CFs, and you might have to order them online, but that would be the cheapest route. They might have some of those at the hydro store, not sure.

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C. S. Lewis